Monday, June 18, 2007

Blockbuster Video gives the nod to Blu-ray


Sony wins this round, for what it's worth:


The move is viewed as a blow for the rival Toshiba-backed HD DVD format - which has been battling against the Blu-ray format, supported by Sony.
Blockbuster said that consumers have chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD in the 250 stores where both were available.
The limited choice of titles in the HD DVD format was also a factor in focusing on Blu-ray, Blockbuster said.
"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbusters, told the Associated Press news agency.
Mr Smith added that most studios were offering films on Blu-ray, with the exception of Universal which has been supplying films on HD DVD alone.


Of course, it's not lost on me that bricks and mortar video rental stores are well past their zenith, with Netflix and other, online options slowly gaining ascendancy. With those pay-for-download options to come, there is a definete shelf-life to the marketability of High Definition hardcopy content. This creates a pleasing symmetry: an outdated retail model giving support to a hardcopy format that is itself virtually obsolescent.

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